You’ve seen the mailers. Those glossy, slightly annoying postcards that flooded your mailbox for weeks, promising either a utopian future or total civic collapse depending on which way you flipped your ballot. Honestly, trying to parse the Los Angeles propositions 2024 was a bit of a headache for everyone, even the political junkies who live for this stuff. It wasn't just about picking names; it was about shifting the actual tectonic plates of how LA functions. We’re talking about a massive expansion of the County Board of Supervisors, new ethics rules that finally have some teeth, and a whole lot of money being shuffled around for housing and schools.
It's easy to get lost in the "legalese" of ballot measures. But if you live in LA, these aren't just abstract ideas. They are your property taxes, your commute, and how many people are sleeping on the sidewalk in your neighborhood.
The Massive Shakeup of County Government
Let’s talk about Measure G. This was arguably the biggest "under the radar" shift in decades. For over a century, five people—the "Five Little Kings" or Queens—governed a county of 10 million people. That's a ridiculous ratio. If Los Angeles County were a state, it would be the 10th largest in the country, yet it had the same number of supervisors as a tiny rural county.
Measure G changed the game. It’s going to expand the Board of Supervisors from five seats to nine. Why does this matter? Because right now, each supervisor represents about 2 million people. You can't provide localized service with those numbers. By 2032, we’ll see new districts drawn. It also creates an elected County Executive—basically a "Governor-lite" for the county—to replace the appointed CEO position.
Some critics, like Supervisor Kathryn Barger, worried this would just add more bureaucracy and cost taxpayers more money without fixing the core issues. Proponents, including Lindsey Horvath, argued that a county this size needs an executive who is actually accountable to the voters, not just the board. It's a fundamental change in power dynamics. We’re moving from a system where the board both makes the laws and executes them to a more traditional "separation of powers" model.
Ethics and the City Hall "Cloud"
Los Angeles City Hall has been under a bit of a dark cloud lately. We've seen federal raids, council members in handcuffs, and those infamous leaked tapes that shook the city to its core. Measure ER was the city’s attempt to say, "Okay, we get it, we need to clean house."
Basically, ER gives the City Ethics Commission more autonomy. In the past, the commission felt a bit like a dog on a short leash held by the very people it was supposed to investigate. The new rules increase the penalties for ethics violations and give the commission a guaranteed budget so the City Council can't just starve them of funds if they get too curious. Is it a silver bullet for corruption? Probably not. But it makes it a lot harder for politicians to ignore the watchdogs.
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Then there was Charter Amendment DD. This one was a no-brainer for most people: independent redistricting. After the 2022 scandal where council members were caught on tape trying to carve up the city to protect their own power, the demand for an independent body to draw district lines became overwhelming. You’ve seen how messy it gets when politicians pick their voters instead of voters picking their politicians. This amendment takes that power away from the Council and hands it to an independent commission.
The Reality of Measure A and the Homelessness Crisis
If there is one thing that defines the Los Angeles propositions 2024, it’s Measure A. This was the "homelessness tax" replacement. It repealed the old Measure H (a quarter-cent sales tax) and replaced it with a permanent half-cent sales tax.
Half a cent doesn't sound like much until you realize it’s expected to raise about $1.1 billion every single year. Forever.
This is where things get complicated. People are frustrated. You walk down Hollywood Blvd or through Venice, and it’s clear that despite billions already spent, the crisis isn't "fixed." The United Way of Greater Los Angeles and other advocates pushed hard for this, arguing that if the funding from Measure H expired, the progress being made—thousands of people being moved into interim housing—would vanish instantly.
But Measure A isn't just a carbon copy of the old tax. It has much stricter "outcome-based" requirements. The county has to show receipts. They have to prove that people are actually staying housed. If you’re a taxpayer, you’re basically betting another billion dollars a year that the city and county can finally figure out the "services" side of the equation—mental health, addiction treatment, and job placement—not just the "four walls and a roof" part.
Schools and Infrastructure: The "Hidden" Costs
We can't ignore the bond measures. LAUSD’s Measure US was a monster—a $9 billion bond for school repairs. Nine billion. That's a staggering amount of debt for the district to take on, and it’s paid back through property taxes.
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Walk into some of these schools in South LA or the Eastside. You’ll see HVAC systems from the 70s, lead pipes, and tech labs that are anything but "tech." The district argued that this money is essential just to keep the buildings from falling apart. Critics, however, pointed out that LAUSD's enrollment is dropping. Why build or renovate for 600,000 kids when you only have 400,000? It’s a fair question.
On the state level, Proposition 4 and Proposition 2 also hit LA ballots hard. Prop 4 was the "climate bond," $10 billion for water infrastructure and wildfire prevention. In a city constantly staring down a drought or a brush fire, this felt urgent. Prop 2 was another $10 billion for schools and community colleges.
When you add all these up, the 2024 election was essentially a massive request for capital. LA is doubling down on the idea that we can build our way out of our problems—whether those problems are crumbling classrooms or a lack of affordable apartments.
The Rent Control Rumble
Proposition 33 was the one that had the most "No" commercials on TV. It was the latest attempt to repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act of 1995. For those who aren't housing nerds, Costa-Hawkins is the state law that prevents cities like LA from putting rent control on buildings built after 1995 or on single-family homes. It also protects "vacancy decontrol," meaning a landlord can raise the rent to market rate once a tenant moves out.
LA is a city of renters. The Justice for Renters coalition argued that without Prop 33, the city’s hands are tied and we can't stop the skyrocketing costs that lead to displacement. On the flip side, the California Apartment Association spent a fortune arguing that more rent control would actually kill the housing market by making it impossible for developers to build new apartments.
This tension is the heartbeat of LA right now. How do you protect the people living here without scaring away the investment needed to build for the people who want to move here? The failure or success of these types of measures dictates whether a neighborhood gentrifies overnight or stays affordable for the working class.
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Why This Election Cycle Felt Different
Honestly, the Los Angeles propositions 2024 felt like a turning point because the "status quo" was no longer an option. Usually, ballot measures are about tweaks. This year felt like a structural overhaul.
We saw a move toward "direct democracy" on steroids. When the government fails to fix the sidewalk or stop the corruption, the voters of LA tend to take the "fine, I'll do it myself" approach via the ballot box. But there's a risk. We are increasingly governing by "ballot box budgeting." We lock in billions of dollars for specific causes, which sounds great until there’s a recession and the city’s general fund is empty but we’re still mandated to spend $1 billion on a specific program that might not be working perfectly.
The Misconceptions People Still Have
- "Prop taxes don't affect renters." This is a huge one. When we pass Measure US or other bonds, property taxes go up. Landlords almost always pass those costs down to tenants eventually. Nobody gets a free ride on infrastructure.
- "The Board of Supervisors expansion happens tomorrow." Nope. This is a slow burn. The redrawing of districts and the addition of the new seats won't be fully realized for years. It’s a long-term play for the future of LA.
- "Measure A is just Measure H again." It’s twice the tax rate (0.5% vs 0.25%) and it has no "sunset clause." It’s a permanent fixture of our sales tax now.
Actionable Steps for the Post-Election Reality
Now that the dust has settled on the Los Angeles propositions 2024, you shouldn't just tune out. These measures are in the "implementation phase," which is where the real work happens.
Track the money. The LA County Homeless Initiative will be overseeing the Measure A funds. They hold public meetings. If you want to know why there’s still an encampment in your park despite the tax increase, those are the meetings where you get to ask.
Watch the redistricting. As the county moves toward nine supervisors, the lines they draw will determine who represents you. This affects everything from trash pickup to zoning for new businesses. Public comment periods for these maps are the only time you get a say in how your neighborhood is grouped.
Check your property tax bill. If you're a homeowner, look at the breakdown. You’ll see exactly how much of your money is going toward the bonds passed in 2024. It’s a sobering reminder of why local elections often matter more than the big "top of the ticket" races.
Engage with the new Ethics Commission. If you see something "funky" happening with a local developer or a council member, use the newly empowered Ethics Commission. They have a portal for reporting violations. Now that they have a protected budget, they are more likely to have the staff to actually investigate your claim.
Los Angeles is a complicated, beautiful, messy experiment in urban living. The 2024 propositions were a collective attempt to fix the plumbing of the city. Whether these changes actually lead to cleaner streets, better schools, and more honest politicians depends entirely on whether we keep paying attention now that the "I Voted" stickers have lost their stick.